TESTIMONIALS 

I started coming to Compassionate Friends about two months after my son, Derek, died. Derek was full of life, always smiling, and he had so many plans ahead of him. He was even getting ready to propose to his girlfriend. Losing him shattered my world. I had been placed on medication, started therapy, and tried to do all the things science tells us to do, to help my grieving. I needed something more. My doctors office recommended Compassionate Friends. 

Walking into that first meeting was so hard, but I’m glad I did. What I found here was something I couldn’t find anywhere else. Because it’s just parents, everyone really understands. You don’t have to explain the depth of the pain—it’s already understood. There are a wide, diverse range of people, circumstances, and time frames. Some of us are new to this journey, others are years or decades ahead. It's a room full of simple, judgement free, supportive individuals ,coupled with their own stories of pain and searching. Together, we come together offering one another our presence, knowing we are not alone. 

Here, I can talk about Derek, I can say the things that might sound too heavy or even a little crazy anywhere else, and nobody judges me. Instead, people nod, because they’ve felt it too.

This group has given me a place to keep Derek’s memory alive, to share my grief openly, and to know that I’m not alone on this journey. It’s helped me more than I can express. I'm so grateful to be part of the Compassionate Friends family!